Electric switch mechanism



Octn 12 192s.

w. .IL NooNAN ELECTRIC SWITCH MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed May 31. 1924 MENTE* JW by @Wg/M ATTDRNEy-I Oct. l2 1926. 1,603,093

w. J. NooNAN ELECTRIC ySWITCH MECHANISM original Filed May s1. 1924 2 sheets-sheet 2 ATTDHNEY- Patented Oct. l2, 1926i.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM J. NOONAN, OF MANSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC SWITCH MECHANISM.

Original application iiled May 31, 1924, Serial No. 716,866, now Patent No. 1,528,300, dated March 3,

Divided and this application led January 23, 1925.

Serial No. 4,167.

This application is a division of an ap-part switch lever pivoted at 12. One memplication tiled b me May 31, 1924, Serial N o. 716,866 now atent No. 1,528,300, March 3, 1925.

When a single lever is employed to close two diiierent circuits simultaneously through different contact points with which different parts of the lever engage, the tension at the two ditferent contact points is usually unequal so that if adjusted to make the proper tension at one contact the tension will be either too slight or too great at the other contact and result in poor connection in one of the circuits. The object of the present invention is to provide a switch lever which can be set so as to close or open as the case may be two different electrical circuits simultaneously and to provide independent tension for each contact member oit the switch, each of which may be given the tension desired.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features thereof will be pointed out and clearly deiined in the claims at the close of this specification.

1n the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan View showing switch mechanism embodying the invention and showing in diagram two electric circuits with which said switch mechanism is connected.

Fig. 2 is a detail plan View of the switch lever on an enlarged scale from that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the switchl base and lever.

Fig. 4 is a. plan view, partly in diagram, showing a modified form of switch mechanism, the electric circuits being shown in diagram.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the switch lever shown in Fig. 4.

Fi 6 is a sectional view through the switc i base and lever of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings:

There is shown at 1 an electric motor. At 4 is shown a heating coil and 5, 51 and 52 a plurality of resistance coils in series with the motor. At 6 is represented the positive wire and at 7 the negative wire of an electric circuit. Preferably the switch lever is a two-part lever. In the drawings it i shown as a two-part lever as follows:

At 11 is shown the handle of a twober of the switch lever is shown at 14 and the other member at 15. The member 14 consists oi' a strip of spring metal, preferably brass, having an insulated handle 11. The member 15 is also of spring metal and is mounted on the member' 14. Said members 14 and 15 are pivotally secured to an insulation base 16 by the headed pin 12 which passes through 4both members 14, 15. The arm of said switch member 14 which is on the handle side or the pivot slides on a rest bar 13 which is preferably arc-shaped. The said bar A3 is formed with a series of humps 17 spaced slightly apart from each other forming' notches between them, and the switch member 14 is formed with a hump 18 on its underside which is adapted to engage in the notches between the humps 17 of the rest bar 13 to hold the switch in its adjusted position when the member 14 is in contact with one or' the contact pins 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 hereinafter described.

As the switch lever 14 is held down at the pivot point by the head of the Divot pin. 12 that arm oif the lever 14 which bears on the rest bar 13 has to be sprung up slightly to bring it onto the upper side of the rest bar 13 so that it will bear on the contact pins hereinaitter described. The switch lever is thus maintained under tension where it engages the contact pins.

The arm 14"L of the switch member 14 on the opposite side ot the pivot from the rest bar 13 rides on a contact strip 19 secured to the insulation base 16. The arm 141 is formed with a slot 14h and the superposed switch member 15 is iormed with a bent tongue 15d which extends down through the said slot to form a. contact with the contact pins 37, 38 to be hereinafter described. Said member 15 is of spring metal and its free end is put under tension when it is sprung up as by riding over the convex heads of the contact pins, thus giving the tension to the arm 15 independent of the tension of the arms 14'LL or 14.

One example of the way in which the improved switch may be used is as follows:

The positive leading-in wire 6 of the main line is in electrical connection with the positive contact bar 19 through a binding post at 21. The negative leading-in wire 7 is connected with the insulated base 16 by a binding post at 22. A branch 71 from the negative wire 7 leads to the inotor 1. A branch T2 troni the negative wire 7 leads to the heating coil ll'.

rEhe switch ineinber 11 is in contact with the positive contact strip 19 and therefore with the leading-in wire 6 in all oitl the adjusted positions ot the switch lever. A positive wire 61 leading to the inotor is adapted to be electrical connected with the positive leading-in wire (i through the contact strip 19, switch arin 1% and the contact` pin BO so that when the switch lever is moved over to engage with pin the circuit inay be made through the i'notor without passing through an)7 ot' the resistance electric connection through the wires ($85 (Si with the resistance colis 5, 51 respectively.

in insulated projection 83 is provided as a seat tor thc switch lever to maintain it in neutral position when desired.

`lllhcn the switch is in contact with anyv one ot the pins 32, 31 or 30 or any other contact on that side ot the neutral l-3: ,he arui 15 is entirel)v out ot electrical contact with :"ijv ot the contact members which cli 1e the circuit through the heating coil and i iercore inoperative. i pluralitv ot contact pins 3l, 35 anl 3G are provided on theI opposite side ot the neutral 'troni the pins 30. 81, Z tor inaliing connection through the switch with the heating coils.

A pluralitj,v ot contact pins il?, are provided with which the tongue 15L ot the switch aria 15 is adapted to engage respectivel)v when the switch lever is turned to bring that portion ot the arni 1 4.; which is on the handle side ot the pivot into engagement with one ot he pins Self,

The pin is electricalhv connected by wire with the resistance coil 51, hv interinediate connection with wire 31 which leads troni contact pin 3Q. Contact pin lil is electricalli;v connected by wire Gti with the resistance coil llhen the switch lever is turned to bring the niain switch arin 1l into contact with the pin 3i, the tongue 15"L or the arin 15 will simultaneously contact with pin 37. The positive connection with the niotor will then be inade through the wire 31 contact strip 19, switch arin 15, tongue 15, contact 37 wires and (il, and wire 61.

it the saine tiine the circuit through the heating coil will be closed by the arin 1%, pin and wire G2.

lilhen the switch is turned 'further over to bring the arm 1% into contact with pin 35, the tongue 15 will engage pin 3S and the circuit to thev inotor will be closed through the wire 6G, the resistance coils 51 and 5 and wire G1.

Then the switch is inoved over another J resistance coils 51 and o point to the pin 36, the furthest on that side o1" the neutral, the tongue 15 at the opposite end o1' the switch will have moved out ot contact with the pin and entirely out ot' connection with any of the wires leading to the niotor so that the circuit through the inotor will be broken but the circuit through the heating coil will reina-in closed.

ln the modified torni shown in Figs. 4, 5 and (S there are three heating coils si, l and el), the coil l being in the circuit formed in part by the negative wire 72 and the posit-ive wire (32 as previously described. rlhe heating coils -lL and 1l) arc in series with cach other and are connected by wire 'i' with the leading-in negative wire 7 and are connected with the positive contact wires 35 and 3G by the wire rthe contact members 35 and 35 are in series with cach other as described in connection with the device shown in Fig. 1;y but the); are not in series with the contact .ineinber 31. Contact members 58 and 3T are clcctricalliv connected with the resistance coils 52 and 51 respectively by the wires ($6 and Gel; previously described with rclerencc l to Fig. 1. rlhe resistance coil 5 is connected with contact ineinber 3E) by wire (i3, the said contact member Slt) being in series with contact ineinher 31.

ln this inodilied torni the contact members 3S, 37 and $39 are disposed on the hase lil on the opposite side ot the pivot 12 troni the arrangen'icnt ot the contacts 53S and 3T, shown in Fig. 1. ln order7 theretore, ifor the switch arm 15 to malte a contact with meinbers 23S, 37 and 35), said switch arm l5 is provided with a tongue 15h under tension similar to the tongue 1.5 anu said tongue 151 extends down through a slot 1l in 'the arm 1l and is adapted to eng ge under tension with thc contact ineinbci.. US, 23T and 39 in the several. adjusted positions olf the switch.

vWhen the switch lever moved over to malte contact with member 38 the arin 1t on the handle side ot the pivot will malte contact with nieinher let, the further arin of said lever being as previously described always in engagement with the contact bar 1f). ln this position ot the switch7 the tongue 15" will be in engagement with contact ineinber 3S. 'l he engagement oll the switch with the contact ineniber 3l will close the circuit through the wire Gi). and heating coil Ll. At the saine time the engagement o't the tongue 15b with contact nieniber 38 will close the circuit through the resistance coil 52.

lllhcn the switch is niovcd over to the second station on that saine side of neutral, the switch tongue 15h will engage with the contact n'ieinber 37 to close the circuit through the wire (il and resistance coil 51. At the same time the switch arin 1-t will engage with contact ineinber and close the circuit through the wire 67 and the two heating coils 4 and 4b and will cut out the heating coil 4. Vhen the switch is moved over to the third station, the tongue 15h will engage wit-h contact member 39 and close the circuit through the wire 63 and the resistance coil 5 cutting out the resistance coils 51 and 52.

A contact pin 68 is mounted on the base 16 in position to be engaged by the switch tongue l5`- when Ithe switch is at the third station and a wire 69 leads from said contact member 68 and is tapped onto the wire G2 leadinfT to the heating coil 4. Thus when the switch is at the third station the three heating coils 4, 4 and 4b will be operative and the resistance coil 5 is the only resistance left in the motor circuit.

IVhile I have shown and described two different systems in which a switch mechanism embodying my invention may be employed, I wish it to be understood that the claims are intended to cover switch mechanism embodying the invention, regardless of the particular form of apparatus in which it is employed.

That I claim is:

l. A switch lever comprising two resilient contact members one oit which is superimposed upon the other in the same longitudinal direction, a supporting base on which said two members are pivoted intermediate their ends, a pivot for said two niemlicrs, said two contact members being connected in such a manner that they turn as one on said pivot, two sets of contact elements with which said switch members are respectively adapted to simultaneously engage to close two separate circuits, each of said contact members of the switch having its own tension independent ot the other.

2. A switch lever comprising two resilient contact members one ot' which is superimposed upon the other and parallel therewith, a supporting base on which said two members are pivoted intermediate their ends, a pivot for said two members, said two contact members being connected in such a manner that they turn as one on said pivot, one of said switch members being formed with a slot and the other member having a projection which extends through the said slot and is adapted to form a contact with an underlying contact member.

3. A switch lever composed of two resilient members each of which is adapted to make electric contact, one of said members being superimposed upon the other and being in electric contact therewith and extending in the same longitudinal direction, a common pivot for said two members intermediate their ends, said members being secured together in such a manner that they turn as one on said pivot, said contact members being adapted to respectively engage under tension contact members 'in different circuits in such a manner that the tension of each switch contact member is independent of the tension of the other switch contact member.

4. A switch lever composed of two resilient members each oi which is adaptedto make electric contact, one of said members being superimposed upon the other and being in electric contact therewith and extending in the same longitudinal direction, a common pivot for said two members intermediate their ends, said members being secured together in such a manner that they turn as one on said pivot, two sets of contact elements in difti'erent circuits with which said switch members on one side of said pivot are respectively adapted to engage simultaneously and another set of contact elements with which one ot the switch members on the opposite side of the pivot is adapted to engage.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

VILLIAM J. NOONAN. 

